In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, I have the pleasure in speaking to Head of Strength & Conditioning at Hurricanes Rugby in New Zealand, David Gray. This episode has come around at the perfect time with the British & Irish Lions being on tour in New Zealand and getting a 31-31 draw against David's Hurricanes on Tuesday this week. David is another practitioner in the 'Brit abroad' category having worked in New Zealand for the last few years. In this episode, you will learn - Who is Davie Gray (background, experience, and current role) Working in NZ and differences/similarities with Europe Periodisation of different qualities and how it differs pre, in and off season Conditioning Strength & power Speed Training load monitoring Use of Kitman Labs Creating a competitive environment to increase training intensity How things change with scheduling issues Future direction What could you improve Areas of innovation (power profiling) Staff relationship & CPD Advice for young S&C's David can be found on Twitter @daviegray

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, I have the pleasure in speaking to Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology, Dr. Anthony Shield. Dr. Shield and his colleague Dr. Opar are the brains behind the NordBord, a tool to measure eccentric and isometric hamstring strength which prompted a lot of discussions in this episode. As well as the work he has done himself in this area, Dr. Shield also supervises a number of Ph.D. students who are looking further into the hamstrings and their functions. In this episode, you will learn -  Who is Tony Shields (education, background etc) What we know about hamstring injuries 'Functional' exercises  Confusion around the term How they relate to hamstring injury Nordics Why the debate Why the apparent stigma Alternatives Assessments Where the research is heading Anthony can be found on Twitter @das_shield

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, I am speaking to Director of Coaching and Sports Science at Hintsa Performance, Pete McKnight. Hintsa Performance is a company who provide performance coaches for a number of athletes, the most notable being drivers in Formula 1. Pete leads a number of coaches who work one-on-one with the drivers but he also works on the research and innovation side of things at Hintsa. Pete has also been chairman of the UKSCA for a number of years now and has helped the organisation develop a growing reputation in the UK and abroad. In this episode, you will learn - Who is Pete McKnight (background, education and current role) Physiological demands of Formula 1 and what training looks like Training for the neck & trunk to cope with high g-forces What is available from a physiological point of view from the drivers themselves What is the future for drivers in Formula 1? In what areas is there room for improvement? With so much media demand for the drivers, how do you/they prepare psychologically for a race? Pete can be found on Twitter @petemcknight

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast, I am DELIGHTED to bring you Dr. Daniel Cohen, co-founder and head of sports science at ForceDecks. Daniel is also a lecturer and researcher at the University of Santander in Colombia. Daniel has become the face of ForceDecks over the last few years with the company becoming a leader in providing force plates and the associated software to some of the best organisations in the world. If you are interested in learning more about jumping and jump data, this podcast is most certainly for you! In this episode you will learn - Who is Dr Daniel Cohen (background, education and current role) Force platform use in sports Barriers and issues associated with jump testing Why CMJ and why dual platforms The importance of looking at eccentric forces and landing forces The truth about asymmetries Daniel can be found on Twitter @danielcohen1971

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I have the pleasure of speaking to Inigo Mujika, Associate Professor at the University of the Basque Country. Inigo has an unbelievable list of publications to his name in the areas of strength training for endurance athletes, tapering and peaking. Inigo even has a book with Yann Le Meur which looks amazing. In this episode you will learn - Who is Inigo Mujika (background, education and current role) Strength training for endurance athletes - barriers and benefits Periodisation of strength training for the endurance athlete The resurgence of 'aerobic training' for team sports - benefits of this type of training for this group Key qualities of a sports scientist Key qualities of coaches Training load quantification -  Do the methods answer the key questions...How hard did the athlete find the session? How hard was the session? How did the athlete recover from the session? How is the athlete coping with the cumulative stress of training? Inigo can be found on Twitter @inigomujika_en

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I have the pleasure of speaking to 2 guys who I have got to know a lot over the last 12 months, Aled Walters and Adam Sheehan, both at Munster Rugby. Aled is Head of Athletic Performance while Adam is Strength & Conditioning Coach but also a genius when it comes to monitoring the guys with GPS. Munster have a HUGE game this weekend against Scarlets in the Pro12 final so it was great to catch these guys before the big day. In this episode you will learn - Who are Aled Walters and Adam Sheehan (background, education and current roles) Last year compared to this year (2 sites and how that impacted training and the culture) Developing a culture in a rugby club What you learned from your time in Australia and New Zealand In-season conditioning for rugby Integrating GPS into practice Aled can be found on Twitter @aledwalters Adam can be found on Twitter @sheehan_adam

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I am speaking to Director of Performance at University of Michigan Football, Fergus Connolly. Fergus has an unbelievable CV with time spent in the English Premier League, the NFL, International rugby, club rugby, NBA etc etc. With a background in manufacturing technology as well as computer science, Fergus does not come through the traditional sports science or strength & conditioning routes.  In this episode you will learn -  Who is Fergus Connelly (background, education and current role) How do we assess a technology for its use within a given environment How do we improve communication within an organisation Identifying and acting on emotional load in athletes and staff Fergus can be found on Twitter @fergus_connolly

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I am speaking to Director of Performance & Education at USA Football, Joe Eisenmann. Joe primarily works with the younger age groups and with Joe being an expert in that field, we go into depth chatting about USA Football's LTAD model. It was also extremely interesting as an Englishman, how Joe feels about foreign sports scientists entering the US and taking up new roles. In this episode you will learn - Who is Joe Eisenmann (background, education and current role) Foreign coaches working in the US Safety concerns in football Applied research in the US Coping with growth and maturation in young athletes Joe can be found on Twitter @Joe_Eisenmann

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I am speaking to consultant physiotherapist at the PGA European Tour Golf, Nigel Tilley. Nigel has a very interesting role which takes him all over the globe working with world's best golfers. Given that he worked for the Bahamas FA in a previous role, Nigel certainly has a cracking CV. In this episode you will learn - Who is Nigel Tilley (background, education and current role) Demands of golf and training to meet them The role of the S&C coach in golf Common injuries and methods to mitigate those risks In-season S&C for golfers 'Core training' for the professional and amateur golfer Nigel can be found on Twitter @nigel_tilley

In this episode of the Pacey Performance Podcast I am speaking to Cheri Mah, Research Fellow at the University of California San Francisco Human Performance Centre. Cheri is an expert when it comes to sleep and in this episode talks about how athletes can improve the quality and duration of their sleep. In this episode, we run through some real life scenarios and get Cheri's view on dealing with common headaches coaches have when traveling for away matches. In this episode you will learn - Who is Cheri Mah (background, education and current role) How sleep can affect athletic performance Tracking sleep in the applied world - validity & reliability of methods How much sleep do we need? How can we find out? Strategies to maximise sleep Benefits & pitfalls of napping throughout the day Cheri can be found on Twitter @cherimah